


The Healing of Rifts

by MitsubachiAria



Category: Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Fun in Endless Mirrors, Mifuyu Needs Therapy, Post Chapter Ten, Sharing Trauma and Issues, but in a magical girl sense, tw for self destructive behavior
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:06:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25662562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MitsubachiAria/pseuds/MitsubachiAria
Summary: Mifuyu encounters Kanagi in the midst of practicing some unhealthy coping mechanisms in Endless Mirrors. Kanagi expresses her concern for Mifuyu, and opens up in turn to her about a certain issue involving a certain flute-playing former cohort of hers. The two realize their issues have more in common than they knew.
Relationships: Amane Tsukasa/Izumi Kanagi, Azusa Mifuyu & Izumi Kanagi, Nanami Yachiyo/Azusa Mifuyu
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	The Healing of Rifts

**Author's Note:**

> TW for... not really self harm, but self destructive behavior? What do you call Very Bad Coping Mechanisms but for Magical Girls? 
> 
> Anyways, set out to write Mifuyu/Kanagi/Yachiyo, ended up with... definitely not that. The Tsukanagi agenda took over, oopsies. But that's alright, I needed to shill my rarepair anyways. 
> 
> Also Katie wanted me to help achieve Yachimifu supremacy, so you're welcome.

When Mifuyu had first been instructed to train her Doppel usage while with the Wings of Magius, Touka had suggested she go to Endless Mirrors and try to seek out some former friends to raise up the emotions that hastened the blackening that lead to the Doppel’s emergence. While it seemed a bad idea at first, the second she saw the reflections of Kanae and Mel, she knew this would develop into something beyond simple training. The catharsis of seeing them again combined with the reproach she felt they would feel for her in her current state made fighting their copies an odd sort of release. 

As unsafe as going there alone was, she did it often- in part to attempt to regain some of her lost strength, and in part just to see her former teammates and allow them, in some way, to punish her betrayals. It wasn’t even always the dead and gone ones- just as often, she’d face a false Yachiyo or Tsuruno or Momoko. Even faces of Feathers, angered by her leading them into an uncertain fate, became a release as it went on. 

She thought perhaps it would cease after she recovered from the brink of death after storming Fendt Hope, but she still felt the need to repent. So, once she had a free day and was healed to as close to full strength as she ever got nowadays, she decided to go once more. She told Yacchan she was studying, so her phone would be off, and went in the labyrinth to her normal “training” spot. The Witch knew why she came here, she was sure. She figured she enjoyed toying with her, so she almost exclusively sent the shades she sought. 

Today was no different- Tsuruno’s apparition appeared with emerald eyes and hair, almost distorting the air around her. She didn’t know how that form of her came to be copied here, but she was sure it was some plan of the Magius that never came to fruition. The Uwasa-fused echo of her dear friend smiled blankly at her as her fans sparked with distorted green flames. “You’re here, Mifuyu,” she said, voice echoing around the open hall. “Have you come to join me?”

Mifuyu shook her head. “You know what I’m here for,” she said with a scowl. 

“Oh? Could it be me?” The familiar voice of a girl lost to time crept up behind her. She turned to face Mel’s cruel smirk on her effigy, cards fanned out in her hand. “I think Death would fit you, don’t you agree?”

A green burst of energy shot at her from the image of that card. Mifuyu rolled her eyes- “please, I know you can do better than that. If Mel taught me anything, that’s not even what that card represents.”

The other apparition she’d turned her back to suddenly struck her in the back with her fan. The wound crackled as if she were shocked. “Oh, are you still wanting to play?” asked the Uwasa Tsuruno. “Because you’re quite boring if you’re complaining.”

Another appeared, eye burning with fury. It was Kanagi- an unusual sight, but she supposed the Witch wanted to mix things up. “So cruel,” the false Kanagi chided. “Have you no shame, taunting her so?” 

Mifuyu readied an attack at the Kanagi, only for her to send a bolt of lightning towards Mel rather than her. Her eyes widened- why was she attacking another Familiar? Unless…

She rammed her Chakram into the false Mel as well, and she crumbled away. Only the Uwasa Tsuruno remained. She couldn’t tell if this Kanagi was an illusion trying to trick her, or the real deal, but she would find out in due time either way. Kanagi nodded at her, and sent a violent burst of light towards their shared enemy. “Mifuyu, now!”

That was her cue, hm? “Assault Paranoia!” she cried out, as illusory magic of her own burst forth. The false Tsuruno faded as well, leaving only the question of the one who came to her aid. 

Kanagi approached her first, reaching out a hand. Her expression softened after a moment. “As I thought- you’re the real deal. Did you get separated from your group too?” 

She was still suspicious. But, she had ways of sniffing a mole out. “Yes, I came with Hinano and Aimi,” she lied. 

As expected, Kanagi raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Hinano and Aimi? An odd group, especially for your company. Is there any reason for that?”

Mifuyu breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright, good, it’s really you. No, I didn’t come with them, they were just the first two odd choices to come to mind. I came by myself, actually. And you?”

The leader of the East smirked. “Clever, you are. I came with the Amane sisters- they mentioned they struggle fighting copies of themselves, so I offered to help them. But, it seems they ran off when we encountered their copies, and I got seperated from them. Why are you here on your own, anyways?”

Mifuyu’s eyes darted about. “I, um…” How did she explain this without admitting this was supposed to be a very bad coping mechanism? “Sometimes I come to blow off steam, you know?”

Kanagi looked wholly unamused. “You expect me to believe that of you? If you had gone to fight a witch alone, perhaps, but I don’t feel it’s a coincidence that Mel and Tsuruno appeared to you.”

She didn’t have anything to say to her about that. The words in her mouth ran dry. She couldn’t even bring herself to look her in the eye. But, Kanagi came closer to her. “Mifuyu… if you need to talk about something, I know I’m not necessarily the best person for such things, but I am good at assessing things impartially. I would be glad to listen to you if you need someone to.”

“It’s… a bit embarrassing,” Mifuyu admitted. “But, I started coming here on Touka’s recommendation to train my Doppel, and-”

Kanagi raised a hand to cut her off, as if halting her at a crosswalk. “Stop- I understand following her advice while in her service, but why now? What reason do you have to train your Doppel?”

“...Kanae and Mel,” she managed to get out. “If they could see me, I’m sure they’d react no differently than their copies.”

Her fellow Magical Girl looked almost horrified for a moment, before settling into a slight frown. “Mifuyu, that’s ridiculous, and surely you know that. Have you perhaps considered therapy?”

Ridiculous… maybe so, but it was still that ugly fear deep inside, the same one that rose like bile in her throat when her soul gem darkened. But as for the other point... she had heard of a self-proclaimed Magical Girl Therapist, but that seemed like a quite awful idea. “That Emiri girl is thirteen, isn’t she?”

“I mean real therapy,” Kanagi said bluntly. “I’m sure if you change some of the details to remove mention of any supernatural stuff, you could find a way to make it work. I went to one after Mel’s death, it helped a lot. Told the lady she’d died in a car crash.”

Mifuyu almost laughed at the suggestion. “How exactly would I explain joining the Wings to them? Say I joined some doomsday cult? And wouldn’t it be a bit questionable that I had two close friends die within a couple of years of each other?”

“I’m sure you could find a way to explain it all,” Kanagi said. “I truly think it would help you a lot.”

Mifuyu knew that wasn’t an option- she couldn’t explain that to someone who didn’t know about this world! And if she tried, she’d surely be decried as having entirely lost her mind. “...I’ll look into it,” she lied. “Just promise me you won’t tell Yacchan about this? I’ve caused her enough worry already, this would only make her worry more.”

Kanagi nodded. “Very well- I won’t tell Yachiyo so long as you don’t come here on your own again. We may have our differences, but I do consider you a friend, and it concerns me to see you doing something like this. I fear what could happen if you continue this, so please, just… if you need to come here for some reason, let me know. I can accompany you.”

Her voice sounded almost sweet- a tonality foreign to her. She smiled in return. “Alright, I can agree to that,” she said, uncertain if she was telling the truth or not. “We should go make sure the twins are alright, yes?”

“Of course,” Kanagi agreed. “I believe they should be at the entrance. After we tend to them, I can take you home.”

The two of them exited the labyrinth, finding Tsukuyo and Tsukasa sitting at the foyer, looking exhausted. “Oh, Kanagi!” Tsukasa’s eyes widened as she saw her. “And Mifuyu?”

“Mifuyu came with Tsuruno and Iroha, but got seperated and told them she’d meet them at Yachiyo’s house,” Kanagi said calmly. “I’m going to accompany her home. Can you two get home yourselves alright?”

“Y-yes!” Tsukuyo exclaimed. “We’re just fine! We just ran into copies of those girls from Chuyo Academy on our way out- Masara and Kokoro, I think? B-but we took them out on our own!”

Tsukasa frowned for a moment, but her face quickly changed to a smile. “Yeah! See, even if we can’t face ourselves yet, we’re getting better with Endless Mirrors! Told you I could do it!”

Kanagi seemed to roll her visible eye a bit, but smiled fondly. “Yes, yes, just please be careful next time. Had we been unlucky, that could have gotten very bad.”

“Yeah, we know. But can we try again soon? I wanted to spend more time with... with fighting!” Tsukasa stumbled over her words in an odd way. Was she embarrassed she’d done poorly around her senpai, or was there something else? 

“Perhaps we should just go on patrol together next time,” Kanagi suggested in turn. “We got away with it this time because your sister was with us, but two of the strongest Magical Girls of Daito training in Mirrors together might be seen as us making attempts to claim it, and I know your schedules often don’t overlap.”

While Mifuyu expected Tsukuyo to object with something like “I can always make time to help my sister!” or “I wanted to train too!” like she might have as a White Feather, she remained silent, just nodding. Something was up, and judging by how strange Tsukasa was acting, Mifuyu had an idea as to what it was. She couldn’t help the smile curling up her lips. 

Kanagi shot her a sideways glare, as if telling her to knock it off. “Sorry I had to cut things short, I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” she told Tsukasa. “And I bid a good evening to both of you.”

She made for the exit, and Mifuyu followed her, waving at the twins. “It was nice seeing you!” she said as warmly as she could. She didn’t want to embarrass them by letting on that she knew the little secret going on here. 

But, once they were a good ways down the street, Mifuyu knew she couldn’t keep it in any longer. She was just too curious! So, she turned to Kanagi with an awkward smile. “So, how long have you and Tsukasa been a thing?”

“A- a thing?” The now regularly dressed magical girl’s eyes widened in shock. “It seems you’ve misinterpreted our relationship. As the most experienced Magical Girl in Daito, it’s my job to help the other-”

“Oh, stop that,” Mifuyu chided. “I’ve seen Mentor Kanagi in action plenty of times. You were never that… personally involved with Mel.”

Kanagi stopped walking for a moment before letting out a sigh. “Oh, very well. I suppose you told me of your struggle, so I owe you the same courtesy.”

“I- I mean, not if it’s something you’re not comfortable talking about!” Mifuyu turned to face her and waved her hands in front of her frantically. “I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable! We can drop it if you’d rather.”

“No, it’s quite alright,” Kanagi assured her. “In all honesty, I didn’t have anyone else to tell about this, so I’m grateful for such an opportunity, in a way. It would be helpful to talk about this dilemma.”

“Alright, go on,” Mifuyu prompted. “Let’s keep walking so we don’t draw any attention just standing here.”

Nodding in agreement, Kanagi began walking alongside her and sharing. “Your assessment of me and Tsukasa’s relationship isn’t… completely false, I suppose. Before she joined the Wings of Magius, we were… talking quite frequently. We became close friends even before she was a Magical Girl.”

“Oh, right, she’s told us about that before,” she recalled. Alina had asked about how the twins met, and the story they recounted included Kanagi imploring Tsukasa to investigate the girl she met at the shrine who looked so much like her. “So, I’m guessing her joining us- the Wings caused a rift with you two?”

“Yes and no,” said Kanagi. “I felt it was in part the result of a rift forming between the two of us. I could no longer help the girls of Daito, but she was the one I felt I had failed most of all. I felt I was a bad mentor to everyone in that case, but to her I had been a bad friend. And, I had always felt perhaps in the future, once we were no longer struggling every hour of the day with our work and school, that perhaps we could have become more, but I blew that.”

She sounded so… unlike herself, voicing all her regrets and concerns. Mifuyu’s heart ached- she knew those feelings all too well. Not being enough, not being the right person for the person you love, being conspired against by your fates- it was all too familiar to her, all of it. She put a hand on the girl’s shoulder. 

“If it’s any consolation, Tsukasa has never expressed any bitterness towards you,” Mifuyu assured her. “When she spoke of you, it was with regret, not any level of reproach. She told me how she wished she could fight alongside you, and feared that if not for the Doppels, and maybe even in spite of them, you would work yourself into an early grave.”

“Tsukasa wanted to protect you, she wanted to save you. She wanted a world where you could be happy- god, that really does sound like me,” she added, more to herself than anything. She should have seen this sooner- Tsukasa felt much the same towards Kanagi as she did towards Yachiyo. “Kanagi, your chances with her are far from spent. There is a future for the two of you if you work for it, I’m sure of it.”

A small laugh came from the other white-haired Magical Girl. “So the rumors were true- Mifuyu the hopeless romantic… I’ve been feeling lately that perhaps things could be repaired between us, but hearing your testimony, I’m almost certain that’s the case. Even if we don’t become romantically involved, I think our friendship can mend, and that’s what matters most. Thank you, truly.”

Mifuyu beamed. “Aww, I’m glad I helped! I know you can do it, as strong as you are.”

Kanagi shot her a sideways glance, raising an eyebrow. “My strength doesn’t extend to interpersonal skills, Mifuyu,” she said matter of factly. “But, my resolve does, and it will not waver in such matters.”

Mifuyu couldn’t help but laugh a little. “You certainly are intense,” she said. “But, I do have one more question- you said you intended to walk with me to my home, but do you actually know where that is?”

“Of course, I’ve been to Mikazuki Villa many times,” Kanagi said. 

“I… don’t live there anymore- I live in the dorms on campus.” Mifuyu understood the confusion, but it didn’t mean it seemed any less strange to her to hear someone else say it.

But, Kanagi shook her head. “No, I’m aware of that. But, it seems to me you would do better to spend your time with friends after what happened. Is that alright?”

Her hand curled up, fingernails digging into her palm. Kanagi wasn’t wrong, she had to admit, but admitting that felt like ice water running down her esophagus. “I… yes, I suppose you’re right. Just… let’s part ways before I go to the door, alright?”

A nod of agreement, and an uneasy silence settled between them. They both had more to say, but didn’t wish to give it voice. They just continued on until they reached an all too familiar street. Mifuyu always felt a sense of calm when she came here. Perhaps Kanagi had accidentally touched on a certain truth- she had walked her home, seeing as this was home, even if she wasn’t living here right now.

She turned to thank Kanagi, but she was already walking away. She started to wave, but seeing as she couldn’t see her, just put her hand down and walked to the front door she knew so well, and knocked the same pattern she always did. Footsteps rushed to greet her- she could tell it was Yacchan from the clacking of heels against the wood floor. 

Mifuyu’s heart relaxed at the sight of her favorite smile in the world. “Mifuyu, what are you doing here,” Yachiyo asked. “Didn’t you have to study tonight?”

Oh, right, that was her excuse. “I got done early,” she explained. “Thought I would relax a bit, if you don’t mind the company.”

“I never do,” Yachiyo assured her, stepping aside to let her in. “I’m glad, you need to not be quite so diligent, if that makes sense. A night off every once in a while will do more good for you than wearing yourself out so much. Would you like some tea? Or have you eaten- I can reheat a plate for you- you like my grandmother’s pork chop recipe, right?”

“Oh, Yacchan, you should practice what you preach,” Mifuyu said with a fond but exasperated smile. She brushed a stray strand of hair out of Yachiyo’s face before going to the cupboard and getting down their mugs. “I’ll make the tea, and a plate would be lovely, thank you.”

Yachiyo kissed her cheek as she passed her on the way to the fridge. “This is taking it easy,” she assured her partner. “Helping you is never work.”

Mifuyu rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hide her giggle along with it. “You’re such a sap, Yacchan!”

A fake gagging noise came from the living room. Felicia was looking over at them with annoyance. “Irohaaaaaa! They’re being all gross again!”

“Oh, just ignore them and leave them be,” Iroha called back. “Oh, and welcome home, Mifuyu! Er, welcome back? I’m never sure what to say…”

That feeling of calm intensified, and Mifuyu let out a sigh as she put the kettle on to boil. “Either’s fine, thank you.”

Despite all that happened, it was as if the past almost two years after Mel’s death had never happened when she stepped into this house. It was full of life and love, just as it had been the first time she came into it. It was still the home she always knew, and Yachiyo was still the other half of her fractured and haphazardly repaired heart. Despite the rifts that had nearly stolen from her all she held dear, they were healing stronger than ever.

If it was true for her, she was sure it could be for Kanagi and Tsukasa as well. 


End file.
